Half Day Upper Kern Trip Details

Trip Meeting Time

Trip Meeting Location

Personal Information Form and Waiver

Each member of your party needs to completely fill out, read, understand and sign our Personal Information and Participant Agreement Form. A timely submission allows us to plan for any special needs. Joining a party? Please put the group organizers name in the “Name of Group Organizer” field located in the waiver.

Parking

Park your car at the back of the building and register inside. Although our parking lot is on private property, it is near a busy road. Do not leave valuables in your vehicle and make sure it is securely locked. No overnight camping is allowed at our parking area.

Lodging and Camping

YOUR HEALTH
Our Kern River trips are fun, fast and challenging. To participate, you should be in good health. You may also need to perform certain physical activities. These include basic swimming, hiking in rugged or uneven terrain, climbing in and out of rafts and assisting in your rescue, if that becomes necessary. Please let us know when you return your Release Agreement if you have any health or dietary restrictions. We will gladly accommodate reasonable dietary restrictions with adequate advance notice.

EQUIPMENT
We furnish rugged inflatable rafts, 12 to 16 feet in length. We provide accessory river equipment, life vests, first aid and safety supplies. Do not bring your own life vest. Ours are approved for rafting and we require that they are worn by guests. On most trips, the majority of passengers ride in paddle boats. A paddleboat is piloted by a guide, assisted by four to six passengers.

PERFORMANCE
It is sometimes necessary to cancel or modify a trip because of unusual circumstances beyond our control. In such cases, we cannot be responsible for paying expenses other than refunding all or part of the fees paid to Kern River Outfitters. Determination of refunds (if any) will be made after reviewing trip details. Guides and other personnel employed by Kern River Outfitters are not authorized to make or promise trip refunds or trip credits. Such determinations can only be made by company officers.

RESPONSIBILITY
Trip participants should understand that river trips involve known and unknown risks. Kern River Outfitters assumes no responsibility for injuries, death or loss/ damage to client ̇s property while on the river. All clients must sign a Release and Waiver Agreement expressly acknowledging these points. Kern River Outfitters assumes no responsibility for vehicles and/or the contents of vehicles parked during the trip.

AGE LIMITS
Minimum age of 12 years old.
The minimum age on our Upper Kern trips is twelve years old. This age limit is in place for the safety of your child, the safety of our other guests and our guides.

ALCOHOL
Please do not bring alcohol on your trip.

LUNCH
No lunch is provided on this outing. Please arrive well nourished.

WETSUITS
For most of the summer, weather in the Kern region is very warm and sunny and you’ll be comfortable wearing light clothing. For early season trips, we sometimes require wetsuits. If wetsuits are required, we do not charge a rental fee.

HELMETS
Helmets are required for all trips we run except the Kernville Rapid Run stretch on the Upper Kern.

GUIDES
Our guides are experienced skilled whitewater boaters. They are knowledgeable about canyon ecology and natural history. Should the need arise they are trained to administer First Aid.

PHOTOS
On most trips, we capture photos of your raft. These are then uploaded and available for purchase at the conclusion of your trip.

TRIP INSURANCE
We recommend you supplement personal insurance with travel insurance. Cancellation initiated by you may result in substantial loss of fees paid. Available insurance protects against the loss of deposits in the event you must cancel because of unforeseen circumstances.

TIPPING
Guests sometimes ask whether gratuities are appropriate. If you enjoyed your trip, please feel free to leave a tip with the Trip Leader. Guests typically leave 15% – 20% of the trip cost. Gratuities will be shared among all the guides on the trip.

PERMITS
Our trips are conducted under a permit issued by the U.S. Forest Service, Sequoia National Forest. Our permit is your assurance that Kern River Outfitters is legally operating on the river. Our operations and facilities are operated on a nondiscriminatory basis.

WHAT TO BRING
River attire should be casual and comfortable. Plan to get wet and bring a change of clothing. We recommend:

Sneakers, or river shoes/sandals with ankle strap.

Windbreaker or Paddling Jacket.

Sunblock.

Lip balm.

Wool or fleece sweater.

Sunglasses.

Swimsuit or board shorts.

Visor or hats.

Strap to secure sunglasses.

Water bottle.

Please do not bring radios, firearms, pets or valuables. Sun-sensitive persons should bring a hat and lightweight long-sleeve shirt. On certain early season trips when water and weather conditions dictate, we may require all passengers to wear wetsuits.

Kern River Outfitters

Since 1980 we have offered river rafting trips on the Upper, Lower and Forks of the Kern. Our company is a family business with sister outfits in Southern Oregon and on the Middle Fork of the Salmon, Idaho.

Join our Staff

We’re looking to hire additional guides for the 2018 rafting season. With a larger schedule of available trips, we anticipate being busier than usual. We’re a great company to work for, and encourage you to apply today.